Chief sports columnist and associate editor with The Age

Sydney's Nick Malceski and Carlton's Dennis Armfield try to stay upright as they tussle for the ball. Photo: Anthony Johnson

Whatever tripped up Carlton at ANZ stadium on Saturday, it was not the playing surface, averred coach Mick Malthouse.

An unusually high incidence of slipping and falling on both sides in the semi-final led to suggestions the arena was barely fit for AFL football. This appeared especially to be the case on the wings, where banks of seats are being winched in and out twice this weekend to convert it from a rugby ground to an AFL ground and back again.

But Malthouse would not offer this as an excuse for the Blues' four-goal defeat. Far from condemn the surface he praised it.

"We're spoiled. The ground was slippery. So what?" Malthouse said. "The surface seemed to be OK to me. It is a sport that is going to be played in slippery conditions. Sometimes you've got to readjust. We can't always be treated with kid gloves like we have over the last 15 or 20 years, where the grounds have come up unbelievably."

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Malthouse made a comparison with Carlton's previous match in Sydney this season, at the SCG, which was played virtually in a giant puddle because of torrential rain. No-one complained then, he said.

"Personally, I like the raw state of grounds, where you have to accommodate different types of surfaces: different lengths, different widths, some are wet, some are dry. You've just to be equipped, and you've got to be mentally prepared and mentally tough enough to play on it. There's nothing wrong with that ground. I think it's a very good ground to play footy on. It certainly didn't stop Sydney."

Sydney coach John Longmire also shrugged off questions. The ground was slippery, he said, but he was intent on aspects of the game that were within his control.

As far as nature allows, the arena is in the control of stadium management. It issued a statement. "The surface is well grassed, but dewy due to the morning rain," it read. "It's with the AFL, who were happy with and signed off on the ground today."